Rotary gas engine



E. R. NICHOLS ROTARY GAS ENGINE Filed Aug. 19, 1921 //w /v TOR l. BNit/2025 ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

ATES

ERNEST R. NICHOLQOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ROTARY GAS ENGINE.

Application filed August 19, 1921. Serial No. 498,558.

an explosive. engine of simplified construction inwhich the number ofparts required is reduced to a. minimum and the.device is adapted foruse in performing the functions ordinarily requiring the use of anexplosive engine of complicated construction.

A further object of myinvention is to provide a device of the characterdescribed in which the power developed is imparted to a rotatable shaftwith-the necessity of providing the usual crank shaft mechanismobviated. y

,A further object of my invention is to provide a device in which acombination working cylinder and piston is arranged for movementrelatively to an outer cylinder and is provided with ports registeringat times with ports in the latter to control the admittance of anexplosivecharge into and the scavenging of the gases of combustion fromthe working cylinder without the use of the usual spring or camcontrolled valves.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the characterdescribed that can be assembled readily, is not likely to get out oforder easily, and is thoroughly effective for the purpose'intended.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification.and the novel features of the invention will be more particularlypointed out in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, forming partof this application, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of thedevice, portions thereof being broken away and other portions beingshown in section along the line 1-1 of Figure 2,

Figure 2 is a. section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing theposition of the working cylinder of the device at the beginning of apower stroke,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the position of theworking cylinder near the end of the power stroke, and

Figure 4 is a section along the line 44: of Figure 1. I

In carrying out my invention, I provide a cylinder 1 supported on apedestal or block 2 and rigidly secured to the latter by means of bolts3 or like fastening means. The block 2 is securely attached to a base 4by bolts 5. Rotatablv disposed in the cylinder or sleeve 1 is a cylinder6 that has a. length greater than that of the cylinder 1 and rojectsbeyond the ends of the latter. he cylinders 1 and 6 are concentric.

The cylinder 6 is provided with end members 7 and 8 attached thereto bymeans of screws 9, or like fastening means. The end members 7 and 8 areformed with cylindricalflextensions 10 and 11 respectively, arranged toreceive the projecting end portions of the cylinder 6 and to slidablycontact the cylinder 1 at its ends, wherebythe cylinder Gisheldagainst'axial movement with respect to the cylinder. 1, while permittedto rotate freely in the latter; A shaft 12 is equipped with a. flange 13attached to the outer face of the end 7 by bolts 14 and is maintained inaxial alinement with the cylinder 6. The .shaft 12 is journalled in anupstanding support 15 car ried by the base 4. A pulley 16 or a likemeans is rigidly mounted on the shaft 12 and provides a means fortransmitting the power developed by the device as'desired.

The end member 8 is formed with a laterally extending integral hubportion 17 having a bore 18 axially alined with the cylinder 6 and witha central bore oropening 19 through the end member 7. The'hub portion 17is 'journalled in a support 20extending vertically from the base 4.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 2 and 3, it is to be observedthat 'the cylinder 6 has integral diametrically opposed abutment pieces21 and 22 extending inwardly from its inner wall and having slidableengagement with the inner walls of the end members 7 and 8. The cylinder6 equipped with the abutmentpieces 21 and 22 constitutes a combinationworking'cylinder and piston, as will be understood from the following. Asecondary piston embodies a cylindrical portion 23 having a lengthsubstantially the same as the distance between the inner walls of theend cal combustion chambers w in detail in the foregoing, tioned asillustrated in members 7 and 8, and a diameter equal to the distancebetween adjacent ends of the abutment pieces 21 and 22, whereby thecombination working cylinder and pr mary piston will be divided into tworecisely identiiien the'secondary piston 23 is arranged in the positionillustrated. The secondary piston 23 is provided at one end with a shaft24 journalled in the bore or opening 19 and with a shaft portion 25 atits other end journalled in the hub 17 and extending beyond the outerend of the latter. The secondary piston 23 and the shaft extensions 24and 25 thereto are axially alined. The secondary piston 23 has integraloppositely extending abutment pieces or vanes 26 and 27 having slidabl'econtact with the inner wall of the cylinder 6 at diametrically opposedpoints and with the inner walls of the end members 7 and 8.

A ratchet wheel 28 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 25. A plurality ofpawls 29 ivotally attached to a frame 30 upstan ing from the base 4engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel to prevent. the rotation of thelatter in one direction. Springs 31 carried by the frame 30 engage withcertain of the pawls 29 to maintain the latter in constant operativeengagement with the ratchet wheel against the influence of gravity. Twooppositely extending arms 32 ahd 33 are carried by an integral disk orhub member 34 rigidly mounted on the hub 17 in close juxtaposition tothe ratchet wheel 28. A retractile spring 35 is attached at one end tothe arm 32 adjacent to the outer end of the latter, and at its other endto the ratchet wheel 28. A similar retractile spring 36 is attached atone end to the arm 35 and at its other end to the ratchet wheel 28 at apointdiametrically opposed to the point at which the spring 35 1sattached to the ratchet wheel.

From the foregoing descri tion of the various parts of the device, t eoperation thereof may be readily understood. The outer c linder 1 isprovided .with a relatively arge intake port 37 and with a smallerexhaust port 38. The inner cylinder 6 is provided with diametricallyopposed ports 39 and 40. The ports 39 and 40ers located at pointsadjacent to the junction of the abutment pieces 21 and 22 with thebarrel of the working cylinder 6 and at 0 posits sides of these abutmentpieces so is at a port is provided for each of the two combustionchambers. The outer cylinder 1 therefore serves as a sleeve valve. Letus assume that the relatively moving parts of the device, which havebeen doare posii Figure 2, that a combustible charge has passed throughthe inte port 37 and through the port 39 into workm of the primary thecombustion chamber into the space be tween the abutment piece 21 and t eblade 26, and that this combustible charge has been compressed by amovement of the blade or vane 26 toward the abutment piece 21. Sparkplugs 41 extend through the end member 7 adjacent to the ports 39 and40, and each is equipped with a contact 42 arranged to engage acooperatin contact 43 carried by a conductor 44, asw en the end7 is inth position illustrated in Figure 2. The compressed explosive chargewill then be ignited. It is to be observed at this point t at theengagement of the pawls 29 with the ratchet wheel I 28 prevents movementof the secondary piston 23 in a counterclockwise direction. When theexplosion of the fuel char e occurs, the combination workingcylinder andprimary piston 6 will be rotated in a clockwise direction. ,Thesecondary piston 23 will remain'stationar'y on account of the pressureof the expanding gases against the blade or vane 26 until thecombination working cylinder and primary piston has been rotated untilin about the position illustrated in Figure-3. At this time, the actionof the springs 35 and 36, which have been placedunder tension on accountof the movement of the workin c linder and primary piston, will be suc tat the pressure against the blade or vane 26 will be overcome and theratchet wheel 28 will be rotated rapidly in a clockwise direction, whichwill occasion a like movement of the seconda piston 23. This movement ofthe secon ary piston 23 occurs during the time that the combinationworking cylinder and rimary piston moves. a distance e ual to tliatfromthe point X at one side 0 the exhaust ort 38 to the point Y at the otherside of t e exhaust port 38. During the time that the secondary pistonis moving relatively to the combination c linder and. rima iston oneladias or vanes 0% the s gcdhdary pis-' ton will cooperate with thecombination working cylinder and primary piston to scaven one of thecombustion chambers, since is e port of that combustion chamber will bein registry with the exhaust port 38 while the other blade or vane ofthe secondary piston will be moving in the second combustion chambertoward the second abutment piece of the primary piston to occasion thecom ressioir of an explosive charge that has con admittedthrough theintake port 37 and the port of the second combustion chamber. It willthus be 3P.

arent that there are two power strokes during a complete revolution ofthe cylinder 6. While I have illustrated and described spring means asbeing employed to rotate the secondary piston 23 intermittently whilethe combination working cylinder and piston is rotating continuously, itwill be 0 vious that I may provide means other than the spring meansillustrated for occasioning the intermittent movement of the secondarypiston without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The device is simple in construction, comprises relatively few parts,and is adapted for use in performing the functions for which anexplosive engine of complicated construction is ordinarily employed.

I claim:

In a rotary internal combustion engine of the type described, astationary cylindrical sleeve, a. combination working cylinder andprimary piston revolvable in said sleeve, said combination workingcylinder and piston having a pair of diametrically opposed inwardlyextending abutment pieces located on the interior wall of said primarypiston, a secondary piston rotatabl disposed within said workingcylinder an primary piston, said secondary piston comprising a solidcylindrical -member having diametrically opposed radially extendingvanes arranged to engage with the inner side walls of said workingcylinder and primary pis-' ton, the inwardly extending abutment pieceson said working cylinder bein arranged to contact the outer wall of saicylindrical member of said secondary piston, a,-

ratchet wheel carried by said secondary piston exteriorly of saidcylindrical sleeve, a cross arm carried by'said working cylinderexteriorly of said sleeve, resilient means for connecting said cross armwith said ratchet wheel, whereby said ratchet wheel may yieldably followthe movement of said cross arm, and pawls 'forpermitting the movement ofsaid ratchet wheel in one direction.

ERNEST R. NICHOLS.

